In October
2002, the UNCTAD-ICTSD Project on Intellectual Property Rights
(IPRs) and Sustainable Development launched the Series of Bellagio
Dialogues on Intellectual Property and Development in response
to concerns that certain trends in the formulation of international
intellectual property (IP) policies may be detrimental to economic,
technological, social and cultural development as well as poverty
eradication. The Series has gathered a diverse group of specialists,
government experts and members of international and non-governmental
organizations that meet in their personal capacity to assess current
international trends on intellectual property and development.
They are aimed at strategic discussions and the identification
concrete recommendations that could contribute to the formulation
of development-oriented IP policies.

Three Dialogues
have been organized since 2002.

First Dialogue
Towards Development-Oriented Intellectual Property Policy: Setting
the Agenda for the Next Five Years (November 2002)

" The future
of IP in the multilateral trading system;
" The challenge of new treaty development and harmonization;
" The promotion effective national policy formulation;
" The integration IP policies in development strategies

" Latest developments and trends on IP and health;
" Current efforts to develop Public Private Partnerships (PPP)
as to engage in wider R&D for neglected diseases;
" Approaches to facilitate access to medicines through compulsory
licensing;
" Creating and promoting domestic drug manufacturing capacities:
legal and economic feasibility assessment;
" Competition policy as a tool to address public health concerns.
The case of South Africa.

" Overview of recent IP trends with emphasis on health and education,
research and dissemination of knowledge in general;
" Promoting innovation and public goods in health, education and
science;
" Protection of undisclosed information related to the approval
and marketing of pharmaceutical products: comparative experiences;
" Fostering access to education, research and dissemination of
knowledge through copyright;
" The new challenges of open source models for developing countries.

The organizers
have considered useful to make available all the relevant material
of the Dialogues including agendas, participant lists, background
papers, conclusions, and informal reports of the meetings. One
outcome of the Dialogues was the launching of the Frati Initiative
with the view of initiating a process of follow-up and monitoring
to the ideas and suggestions made during the Dialogue.